Quite a bunch of assumptions based off those 5 points alone. Especially about the "Trump tariff" boogeyman that somehow some people are assuming will apply to videogame consoles because of disinformation spread by mainstream media.
My take on the points are as follows:
- Changing business structure
Already
started to take place earlier this year, with Hulst running Playstation Studios and Nishino running platforms (consoles + PSN + cloud), both reporting to Sony CFO Totoki.
- New look at game development approach
Less ballooning AAA, more AA like Astrobot.
- Portfolio concept to be introduced
Reverts back to more AA and less AAA. Perhaps another push into crossing IPs towards other media (like series and movies).
- Cost cuts in different areas
No more subsidized consoles, less AAA projects.
- Optimization in investment in sales and marketing
No more subsidized consoles, lower hardware discounts during holiday sales.
Totoki is a bean counter who only worries about the bottom end. That doesn't mean he hates Trump or is afraid of Trump's tariffs, nor that he is moving everything back to Japan (which would indeed anger Trump's or anyone else's cabinets, and could result in tariffs as a blowback).
It means he'll cut down on expenditures where he doesn't see enough added value and increase prices.
I think Totoki is like a kid whose been given a loaded gun. The guy has absolutely no idea of what made Playstation win the console wars. He doesn't really know why people flocked to Playstation and left Xbox which is the quality 1st-party exclusive games. That's why he's focusing only on the revenue and operating profits numbers. The amount of damage he's about to cause to the brand might be irreparable.
The only possible outcome I see here is if he disbands all DEI iniciatives.
I could see Totoki pushing for not releasing the PS6 nor any other console ever again, and turn Playstation into a PC platform that competes with Steam. That would flatlline all hardware expenditure and increase operating profit in the short term,